Kaine 'praying' over Senate bid

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine is under heavy pressure to run for Senate — but the pressure also goes in the other direction. And, Kaine said Thursday, he hasn’t made up his mind about what he wants to do.

“Both of my arms have been getting twisted in different directions today by a number of folks,” Kaine told the DNC’s executive committee at the party panel’s winter meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel.

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“My wife and I are still frankly praying about it and getting advice,” he said. “It’s hard, because I don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s hard because I like this job. It’s hard because being the head of the party is so important. It’s hard because I’m proud of the things Democrats are doing.”

Since Virginia Sen. Jim Webb announced his retirement earlier this month, Kaine, a former Virginia governor, has been lobbied by top Democrats all the way up to President Barack Obama to run for the seat in 2012. Many Democrats believe he has the best statewide profile to keep the seat in their column and help Obama win the state in his reelection effort.

But Kaine is also well liked at the DNC for his low-key presence and managerial skill. When he ceded the floor to another member of the committee Thursday, Rep. Mike Honda responded pointedly, “Thank you, Mr. Chairman — and I want to continue to call you Mr. Chairman.”

Speaking to reporters after his committee address, Kaine wouldn’t give a timetable for his decision on the Senate race but said his attention will turn to it once he’s no longer preoccupied by planning for the meeting currently under way.

Though he’s full of enthusiasm for his current job, he doesn’t display the same level of eagerness about the prospect of serving in the Senate. Asked whether he actually wants to be a senator, Kaine said, “People I care deeply about have impressed upon me that this is an important time” for the Senate.

Kaine also talked about the Democrats’ recent selection of Charlotte, N.C., as the site of their 2012 convention.

“[The site] sends the message that we’re not playing defense,” he said, a reference to the competitive nature of the state.

He added later, “We want to play in that expanded electoral map of 2008 rather than the narrower electoral map of past election cycles.”

The current meeting of DNC members is the first since the party’s drubbing in the November elections, but the mood was remarkably upbeat. “We’ve learned our lessons, girded our loins, gotten up off the mat, dusted ourselves off,” Kaine said.

Looking forward to Obama’s reelection, Kaine said there was plenty of work to do, but “it’s very, very doable.”